New roguelike Flask sees you pay your mortgage with goblin blood, yes, really

Chances are you've heard the story of someone turning up to pay their parking tickets using a massive sackful of change, but Flask takes things to a whole new level. This roguelike autobattler casts you as an alchemist who roams the world in a mobile tower, wielding some seriously uncanny powers. What's the catch? There's a hefty mortgage on your roving base and your creditors want payment in blood. Literally.

Bizarre fantasy game Flask is the brainchild of Danish artist John Kenn Mortensen, known for his deliciously odd Edward Gorey-esque Post-it note sketches. Let's just say you might not want to Google him if you hate clowns or like sleeping.

Billed as "a roguelike autobattler about alchemical greed on the new frontier," it has you juggling a host of tasks, with the ultimate goal of collecting whatever fluids goblins and other beasties have flowing through their veins.

Flask's eerie aesthetic matches your disturbing mission. You'll craft homunculi to wage war upon your foes, then collect flasks to further enhance their abilities, turning them into creatures that could give Resident Evil 2's Mr X a run for his money. I'm sure that won't go horribly wrong at all.

You'll also have to decide just what to do with the blood you gather. 'Pay your mortgage' may seem like the obvious answer, but you'll also be able to trade with merchants and their ilk. I foresee a serious budgeting problem in my future.

What's particularly intriguing about Flask, on top of the whole hemoglobin-harvesting mechanic, is that every third battle has you pitting your homunculi against the ghosts of other players' own. If there's one thing Elden Ring and Sniper Elite 5 has taught me, it's that invading other players' games never gets old, even if you lose.

Flask is being published by Ghost Ship Publishing and developed by Chop Chop Games, with Mortensen as the art and narrative lead. It's penciled in for a 2026 release date, and you can wishlist it on Steam here. 

If you're looking for something to play in the meantime, we've rounded up the best indie games. Or if it's frights you're after, take a look at the best horror games.

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